Archive for the ‘copyright’ Topic
Received a letter from Golden Eye threatening legal action?
Published: 1 February 2013
Saskia Walzel Policy Manager On Tuesday Golden Eye International sent out the first batch of letters threatening court action for alleged copyright infringement via peer to peer filesharing networks. The allegations concern copyright infringement of various Ben Dover Productions films. The letter writing campaign concerns mainly O2 broadband customers, and some BE Broadband customers (both [...]
News: Consumer Focus response to fair-use copyright exceptions
Published: 20 December 2012
Responding to the announcement by Government of ‘fair-use’ copyright exceptions today – which amongst other positive moves will mean that consumers will be able to legally copy music, films or other digital material that they have purchased for use on devices such as computers and MP3 players – Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus, [...]
News: New small claims track on IP disputes
Published: 1 October 2012
Responding to a new small claims track for businesses with IP disputes announced today, Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus, said: ‘High volume but low value copyright infringement by consumers has posed a considerable challenge to a system designed for high value business disputes. The small claims track is a significant step towards a [...]
A new approach to tackling copyright infringement
Published: 1 October 2012
Today (Monday 1 October), a small claims track for copyright infringement disputes of a value up to £5,000 is being launched in the Patents County Court (PCC) for England and Wales. This is a significant step to update the UK’s copyright enforcement regime so that it deals proportionately with online copyright infringement by consumers.
Publication: Online traceability: Who did that? – Technical expert report on collecting robust evidence of copyright infringement through peer-to-peer filesharing
Published: 26 July 2012
This report, written by Dr Richard Clayton, outlines how copyright owners can collect robust evidence of copyright infringement through peer-to-peer filesharing. Consumer Focus commissioned this report to assist Ofcom in the implementation of the Digital Economy Act 2010 through a statutory Initial Obligations Code. When it comes to taking action against people accused of infringement, the standards of evidence are critical. The Digital Economy Act 2010 requires that the Initial Obligations Code makes provisions on the ‘means of obtaining evidence’ and the ‘standard of evidence’ for copyright owners who want to lodge ‘copyright infringement reports’ against consumers with their Internet Service Provider (ISP).
News: Golden Eye copyright claim letters set to hit almost 3,000 consumers’ doormats
Published: 24 July 2012
The High Court has ruled that Golden Eye, acting on behalf of pornographic film producer Ben Dover, can use the names and addresses of O2 customers to pursue claims of copyright infringement. Consumer Focus is highlighting today that 2,845 people are now likely to be sent claim letters by Golden Eye. The company originally wanted [...]
News: Government’s copyright reforms announcement
Published: 2 July 2012
Welcoming the Government’s decision to implement Professor Hargreaves’ recommendations to reform the copyright licensing system, Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus, said: ‘The Government’s decision on the copyright licensing reforms announced today is very welcome. Copyright licensing is the wiring behind the scenes that consumers don’t see – without it consumers won’t have access [...]
News: DCMS and Ofcom announcements on the Digital Economy Act
Published: 26 June 2012
Responding to DCMS and Ofcom announcements today, on the Digital Economy Act implementation, Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus, said: ‘The Government is proposing that consumers must pay a £20 fee to challenge accusations of copyright infringement under the Digital Economy Act. Copyright infringement is not to be condoned, but people who are innocent [...]